5. horn of africa - rl piha - noor

8/8/2019 5. Horn of Africa - RL PIHA - Noor

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FBO FORUM : 2010 ANNUAL MEETING

RELIGIOUS LEADERS PEACE INITIATIVE IN THE

HORN OF AFRICA (RL-PIHA)

A REGIONAL PERSPECTIVES OF INTER-FAITH

ACTIONS FOR PEACE

ACRLRfP

Secretariat


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IGAD Inter-Faith Religious assets

Spiritual assets:

Moral assets:

Social assets:


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Background of RL-PIHA

Occasioned by the Conflicts situation in the Horn ofAfrica

Citing the Critical roles of Religious Leaders in PeaceBuiding, Reconcilaition and promoting forgiveness

Began in 2007: during the first Inter-faith Conference ofthe Horn of Africa held at Dar-es-Salaam, Tanzania

Working Group was formed to led the process andcontinue faciliating the recommendations of the firstinter-faith Conference of Religious Leaders in the Hornof Africa


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Objectives of the RL-PIHA

To provide an impartial space to deliberate and chart out a coherentinter-faith approaches to peace building and conflict resolution in theHorn of Africa region

To facilitate an inter-faith response to conflicts and other relevantissues in the Horn of Africa region together with other partners by

voicing the ethical, moral and spiritual values that must be thefoundation of intra-state, regional and international relations

To enable religious leaders in the Horn of Africa region to develop andsustain active engagement in peace and security, human rights, justice,

democracy and geopolitical governance and socio-economicdevelopment through active accompaniment and engagement withpeace building and conflict resolution processes;

y To stimulate action for peace and justice in the Horn of Africa regionthrough timely advocacy.


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Operational Structures/ Synergies

Regional Conference/Assembly, held once in every twoyears, The Regional Conference/Assembly is theMandate giving body where senior Religious Leadersfrom the IGAD countries as well as observers from

Tanzania, Rwanda and Burundi, chart the direction ofthe RL-PIHA.

The Religious Leaders Contact Groupwill be composed ofcountry level religious leaders contact persons, wholiaise with the regional as well as grassroots levelsReligious Leaders to enhance ownership of the regionalpeace initiative at all levels,the Religious Leaderscontact group members are nominated by the respectivecountries religious leaders


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Operational Structures/ Synergies

The Working Group is composed of regional Institutions thatprovide technical support to the RLs Contact Group andorganizes the Regional Conference/ Assembly after every twoyears The Working Group consists of Muslim and Christianrepresentatives from the All Africa Conference of Churches(AACC), the Fellowship of Christian Councils and Churches inthe Great Lakes and the Horn of Africa (FECCLAHA), theUnion of Muslim Council for East, Central and Southern Africa(UMCESA), the Association of Member Episcopal Conferencesin Eastern Africa (AMECEA) Supreme Council of Kenya

Muslims (SUPKEM) and the National Muslim Leaders Forum(NAMLEF).

ACRLRfP is the Secretariat of the initiative and chairs theWorking Group; ACRL-RfP is not necessarily an implementingbody but rather a coordinating body with interfaith mandate. Itonly implements what is interfaith; the other WG members will

undertake activities focusing on specific faiths


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Grassroots, Sub-regional and National InitiativesKenyaEthiopia Djibouti

Secretariat(The African Council ofReligious LeadersReligions for Peace)

Engagements with IGAD

Eritrea SudanSomalia

Observers

Tanzania

Uganda

RELIGIOUSLEADERS CONTACT GROUP ((14 Members) 2 Religious Leaders per Country) (ACRLRfP, FECCLAHA, UMCESA, AACC, EAMLF, AMECEA, SUPKEM, NAMLEF)

Engagements with Arab

LeagueEngagements with UN, and Bilateral

Diplomatic Processes

Rwanda

Burundi

Regional Conference (Once Every 2 Years)Last Held in 2010)

IGAD Countries:-Kenya, Somalia, Ethiopia,Djibouti, Eritrea, Sudan, Uganda, (Observers

Tanzania, Burundi, Rwanda)

Engagements with the

African Union

RL-PIHA OPERATIONAL STRUCTURE/SYNERGIES


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RL-PIHA Accomplished Activities

Fact finding and solidarity missions to Hargeisa Somaliland, Ethiopia, Sudan andUganda and Kenya/Somalia border: These activities have taken place, severally sinceinception of the regional initiative, and effectively contributed to create ownership ofthe process in the different countries.

Somalia Partners meeting: these meetings were held regularly to review what differentpartners undertake towards finding lasting peace in Somalia.

Consultative meeting of senior religious leaders on Somalia: This meeting took place inKenya in early 2009, to discuss strategies of involving the Somali religious leaders in thepeace initiate, it was attended by senior religious leaders from the region, and since thenSomali religious leaders were engaged in the process.

IGAD countries religious leaders meeting at the African Union headquarters, at AddisAbaba, Ethiopia. This meeting realized in July, 2009 was the first meeting thatenhanced the confidence of the different faith leaders of IGAD countries to work

together, all the IGAD countries religious leaders were in attendance except Eritrea, itwas in this symbolic meeting at the AU that focus was given to IGAD countries, whilerecognizing the countries of Tanzania, Rwanda and Burundi as observers in the RL-PIHA.

Somali religious leaders Confidence/ Learning mission to Rwanda; this activity tookplace in Dec 2009, and was a learning tour for senior religious leaders from Somalia, onhow Rwanda managed to come out of the genocide, aimed to give hope to the Somali

people who are in vicious circles of conflict.


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RL-PIHA Activities continued..

Regular Working Group meetings to review the approach and the changing dynamics;this was done from time to time.

Somalia think tank meeting, convened by AACC and ACRLRfP Seminar on religion, violence and non-violent Conflict transformation in Somalia

and the Horn ofAfrica, organized by ACRLRfP, LPI and FECCLAHA. ThePurpose of the Seminar was to generate ideas that would strengthen the peace

building interventions.The discussions

were attended by peace practitioners aswell as scholars from the Horn ofAfrica.

Traditional religious leaders meeting under the auspices of the Ahlu-Sunna Wal-jamaa was successfully realized in December. 2009 in Nairobi, this wassupported by the RL-PIHA and facilitated by TAABCO a research firm. Themeeting discussed ways to realize sustainable peace in Somalia, and the role ofreligious leaders.

Evaluation ofRL-PIHA by the ACRLRfP Executive Committee, sharing the RL-PIHA processes, the need for wider partnerships and intensified interfaith

dialogue and cooperation in the Horn ofAfrica in Bremen Germany. Regional conference/ Assembly of the RL-PIHA (IGAD countries). This

conference was held in February 2010, at Naivasha, Kenya, it was in thisconference that the structures/framework of the RL-PIHAwere agreed upon,setting platforms at different levels where all religious leaders from differentfaiths in the region can fit, to contribute to lasting peace and development

Retreat of the Working Group: This activity took place in April 2010, to reviewthe recommendations of the Naivasha meeting and develop terms of referencesof the structures established by the Regional Conference.


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RL-PIHA Partners

The Horn of Africa programme of the Religious Leaders Peace Initiativein the Horn of Africahas attracted partners who contribute to abasket including:

Finn Church Aid (FCA), (Ministry of Foreign Affairs)

Trocaire Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Norwegian Church Aid (NCA)

British High Commission in Kenya

Bread for the World through AACC.

Others who have shown interest include the World IslamicCall Society.


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RL-PIHA - Challenges

The dynamics of the conflicts in the Horn, especially in Somalia,affects timely implementation of activities, as in the case of aplanned mission to Mogadishu.

The inter-faith approach to peace building is relative new in the

region, religious leaders from different faiths take time tounderstand, commit themselves and work together.

The political environment and the regional politics contribute tosuspicions and mistrusts amongst different religious leaders fromdifferent countries in the Greater Horn of Africa, as the case ofEthiopia and Eritrea relations

Lack of a three year funding mechanism that affects the timelyplanning for subsequent Regional Conference/Assembly, heldafter every two years, and does not permit staff on a long-termthree years contract


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Planned Activities for 2011

Two cross-border (Kenya-Somalia border) training sessions on dialogue, peace buildingand mediation for religious youth and women of faith

One training session for religious leaders, women of faith and religious youth ontrauma healing and reconciliation in Somalia

One training sessions on interfaith dialogue and network building for religious leaders,women and youth

One multi-religious forum for religious leaders and political actors in Somalia to discussoptions for peace

Coordination and Support to RL Contact Group

Religious leaders regional Contact group Meeting

Regional solidarity and peace building Mission to Somalia

Advocacy Mission of Somali Religious and Traditional Leaders at international level

(Meeting with United Nations preferably with the Security Council) Training for secretariat staff at ACRLRfP staff on project management (both

Narrative and Financial)

Multi-faith Post Referenda solidarity Mission to North and South Sudan


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RL-PIHA Focus Countries: Somalia and Sudan


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End

THANK YOU.

5. horn of africa - rl piha - noor

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